Campos de Calatrava (Spain). A model of GTS sensor is tested in a volcanic ground La Yezosa

Field campaign in the Campos de Calatrava volcanic area (Spain). December 2010.

Automated tests were performed REMS Spanish instrument that will be installed in Curiosity (MSL) of the next mission to Mars NASA

Spanish Environmental Station REMS (Rover Environmental Monitoring Station) has already been delivered to NASA as part of the rover Curiosity, next mission to Mars. Scientific tests are being conducted in several areas which will be essential for the proper interpretation of data from different sensors, once it is running on the planet.

First we located an outcrop of interest for its geological and textural heterogeneity, which also complied with the conditions of work automatic REMS and to allow easy access for the installation of the station safely REMS. An important factor was the implementation of measures day and night and that the tests were supplemented with portable IR spectroscopy analysis, through the acquisition of spectra directly on the ground. In parallel, they also took samples of volcanic rocks, will be analyzed in the laboratory in order to compare and validate the field results. The campaign could not have done without the scientific collaboration of Dr. Antonio Crespo, and logistical and institutional support of those responsible for the volcanic quarry Yezosa, who provided access to the volcanic fronts operating and safety monitoring instruments.

Participants in the expedition: Dr. Jesus Martinez Frias (Co-I REMS, Dto. Planetologia y Habitabilidad), Carlos Armiens (Dto. Instrumentacion), Maria Serrano (Dto. Planetologia y Habitabilidad) y Roser Urqui (Unidad de Proyectos)

Campos de Calatrava

The volcanic area of Campos de Calatrava includes one of the few recent volcanic outcrops in the Iberian peninsula, relatively close to Madrid, with easy access and infrastructure for scientific testing and technical testing. Specifically, the first campaign was held at the volcano on La Yezosa: a Strombolian volcano that reaches 858 m in altitude, rising over 150 m above the normal altitude of the mountains in the area rich in quartzite